Established 1961 13 Sports Sunday, December 3, 2017 England dismiss skipper Smith as Aussies dig in under lights England attack falters after Root opts to bowl

ADELAIDE: England snared the prized wick- et of their nemesis Steve Smith as Australia toiled under the lights in a feisty opening day of the first-ever day-night Ashes Test in Adelaide yesterday. It was debutant Craig Overton who claimed the huge scalp of the world’s top-rated Test batsman for 40 and his first Test wicket in the 63rd over of a grimly- fought contest between bat and ball. But the Australians, leading the series after a 10-wicket first Test win in Brisbane, only lost four wickets after being surprisingly sent into bat by England skipper Joe Root. At the close, the home side were 209 for four with Peter Handscomb unbeaten on 36 and Shaun Marsh on 20 before an Adelaide Oval record 55,317 crowd. “It was a pretty nice one, obviously,” Overton said of his dis- missal of Smith. “He’s one of the best players in the world to get that one to start with and hopefully I can carry on with that tomorrow.” Overton SCOREBOARD angled one in between bat and pad to scatter Smith’s stumps to the unbridled delight of the ADELAIDE, Australia: Scoreboard at stumps yesterday after the first day of the England team after the Australian skipper’s ADELAIDE: England’s Stuart Broad, right, celebrates as Australia’s Cameron Bancroft, bottom, day-night Ashes cricket test between Australia and England at the Adelaide Oval: match-turning unbeaten 141 in Brisbane. is run out for 10 runs during their Ashes test match in Adelaide, yesterday. —AP The Somerset seamer earned kudos as the England won the toss first bowler to bowl Smith in a Test match in Australia 1st Innings Australia since New Zealand’s Trent Boult in was said, I was on the boundary, but obvious- winning the toss in Adelaide, failed to gain Cameron Bancroft run out (Woakes) 10 November 2015. “We’re pretty happy. We ly they said a few things and it looked like he any reward until the 15th over after two rain David Warner c Bairstow b Woakes 47 felt like we bowled pretty well all day,” got under his skin,” Overton said of the stoppages. Usman Khawaja c Vincent b Anderson 53 Overton said. exchanges with Smith. Key bowlers Anderson and Broad wasted Steve Smith b Overton 40 “We’ll come back tomorrow with the new “But he still got 40, so he played pretty the new pink ball by bowling short of a length Peter Handscomb not out 36 ball and hopefully get a couple of early ones well. It’s nice to get him in the end.” Usman in the important first hour. and be quite on top.” Smith, who faced 90 Khawaja raised his ninth Test half-century England got the initial breakthrough in the Shaun Marsh not out 20 balls, had been contained by England’s tight and was dropped on 44 by Mark Stoneman over after tea through a run out. David Extras: (3lb) 3 line and was never given a moment’s peace by before he fell in the over after the dinner Warner played Broad into the covers where TOTAL (for four wickets) 209 Joe Root’s team to keep him under pressure. break. He shaped to cover drive Anderson Moeen Ali fumbled the ball as Cameron At one stage James Anderson stood just off only to get an edge to James Vince in the gul- Bancroft set off for a run from the non-strik- Overs: 81; Batting time: 338 minutes. the pitch and close to Smith at the non-strik- ly for 53. er’s end. Woakes picked up the ball and hit er’s end as the pair exchanged barbs and “I wouldn’t say we’re streets ahead but I’d the stumps from mid-off as Bancroft scram- Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-86, 3-139, 4-161. needed umpire Aleem Dar to step between say we’re pretty happy with four for 200 at bled to make his ground and was run out in the two to calm tensions. the end of the day,” Khawaja said. “It’s going the mix-up for 10. Woakes captured the vital Still to bat: Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon. Smith also traded heated words with to be important how we bat tomorrow. wicket of Warner for 47 in the 34th over. Stuart Broad early in his innings as the Tomorrow’s going to be an important day for Warner edged an outswinger to Jonny Bowling: Jimmy Anderson 20-3-45-1, Stuart Broad 19-7-39-0, Chris Woakes 15- tourists looked for ways to unsettle the impe- us.” Root, who became the first England cap- Bairstow and left the home side 86 for two as 2-50-1, Craig Overton 17-3-47-1, Moeen Ali 10-1-25-0. rious Australian skipper. “I’m not sure what tain since Bob Willis in 1982 to bowl after Smith came to the crease. — AFP

Hazard inspires Firmino double Chelsea comeback inspires Liverpool against Newcastle rout of Brighton

LONDON: gave England followers a glimpse of what to expect at next summer’s World Cup with a glo- BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION: Roberto Firmino net- rious display as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 3-1 at ted twice as Liverpool made it five wins from their last six Stamford Bridge. Less than 24 hours after the World Cup games with a 5-1 drubbing of Brighton draw put Belgium and England in the same group, Belgian and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium yesterday. Despite Hazard was in imperious form, scoring twice and running making six changes to the Liverpool starting line-up, at defenders at will. Juergen Klopp’s side started the game strongly and Chelsea’s victory, which keeps them third in the Premier enjoyed 74 percent of possession in the opening half an League, ought to have been more emphatic but it briefly hour. They were rewarded when Philippe Coutinho’s cor- looked as if they might not collect the three points at all ner picked out Emre Can who rose above two Brighton when Newcastle took a surprise lead in the 12th minute. defenders and headed the ball past Mathew Ryan for his Dwight Gayle chased down his own header and hurried first Premier League goal of the season. Marcos Alonso into a back-pass which sold his keeper The Brighton defence went to sleep and conceded a second just over a minute later when Coutinho turned short. Seeking to prevent Jacob Murphy provider once again and played the perfect ball into nipping in to round him, Courtois was forced to dive at the Firmino who made no mistake by striking the ball past Newcastle winger’s feet but succeeded only in pushing the Ryan. Glenn Murray blew a golden chance to get his side ball back to Gayle, who stroked it into the empty net. back into the game just after halftime when Simon The Chelsea response was immediate. Twice they went Mignolet produced a superb save to deny the Brighton close before inevitable equaliser finally arrived after 20 forward. Liverpool raced down the other end and minutes. Alvaro Morata contested a high ball and it Mohamed Salah’s ball picked out Firmino who made no bounced off him and dropped towards Hazard, who con- mistake with another clinical finish. Murray pulled a goal trolled his half-volley to perfection, driving the ball into back for Brighton from the penalty spot after Jordan the ground and bouncing it into the far corner of the net. Henderson was adjudged to have pushed Shane Duffy, but BRIGHTON: Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho scores his side’s fourth goal during the English Premier League That goal settled any anxiety that had been floating Liverpool scored two late goals. Coutinho netted a clever soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool FC at the AMEX stadium, Brighton, England. around Stamford Bridge and it came as no surprise when low free kick and Lewis Dunk headed the ball past his own yesterday. —AP the home side took the lead just after the half-hour. Matt keeper to complete the rout. — Reuters Ritchie’s clearing header was neither strong, nor decisive and fell straight to Victor Moses who quickly drilled over a cross that Morata merely had to divert home with his head. Danny Drinkwater, making only his second Chelsea seventh goal of the season coming with a start in the Premier League, was the next to go close with Allardyce off to left-foot shot that took a cruel deflection off a shot which drifted away from the far post.—AFP Mathias Jorgensen and into the net to con- sign Huddersfield to a fourth consecutive winning start defeat. The three points enabled Everton, after Watford held with Everton their traumatic start to the season, to move back into the league’s top 10. Allardyce, encouraged after witnessing Wayne to 1-1 draw EVERTON: Sam Allardyce’s reign at Everton Rooney’s midweek hat-trick against his old kicked off in unspectacular but winning club West Ham, must initially have been dis- by Tottenham fashion as goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and mayed with Sigurdsson’s three woeful efforts Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned them a 2-0 from set-pieces summing up the quality. Premier League win over struggling Cuco Martina came closest for Everton WATFORD: Tottenham Hotspur’s patchy away form in Huddersfield Town yesterday. in the opening period, when he latched on the Premier League continued with a 1-1 draw at After being given a warm welcome from to a loose ball and saw his first-time strike Watford but the North London club will be pleased the home fans, new manager Allardyce took go close. Huddersfield, seeking their second with a point after playing much of the second half with his seat, hoping to see further signs of 10 men yesterday. away win of the season and their first vic- Everton’s rejuvenation following their crush- Spurs had centre back Davinson Sanchez sent off in tory at Everton for 80 years, nearly took the 52nd minute for elbowing in the face livewire ing 4-0 defeat of West Ham United in mid- the lead when Tom Ince’s curled corner led winger Richarlison, whose darting runs down the left week. It took a long time but after the for- to chaos in Everton’s box before Laurent flank caused problems for the visitors all afternoon. mer England boss had witnessed only dire Depoitre was thwarted by Jordan Pickford. One such raid resulted in a corner fare in the first half with his side looking Yet David Wagner’s side rarely looked which defender Christian Kabasele headed home curiously flat, Calvert-Lewin, a member of like scoring their first away league goal superbly to give Watford a 13th-minute lead, before the England Under-20 team that won the since the season’s opening day and Son Heung-min levelled with a simple close-range tap- 2017 World Cup, prompted the revival. Allardyce must have been thrilled by the in after Christian Eriksen’s fine low cross. Two minutes after the break, it was the improved performance after the break The visitors were on the back foot after Sanchez was young striker’s clever back flick from Aaron inspired by Calvert-Lewin, the game’s best LIVEPOOL: Everton’s English striker Wayne Rooney (L) shakes shown a straight red card and they came close to falling Lennon’s pass that freed a previously out- player. There was another important contri- hands with Everton’s English manager Sam Allardyce (R) after behind again several minutes later, as Abdoulaye of-sorts Sigurdsson to fire home expertly bution from Rooney, whose pass put in he is substituted during the English Premier League football Doucoure hit the post with a screaming shot from 25 from 10 metres. The young provider then Calvert-Lewin to score his seventh goal of match between Everton and Huddersfield Town at Goodison metres. — Reuters turned goalscorer in the 73rd minute, his the season in all competitions. — Reuters Park. — AFP